When a typical suburban couple and their two adventurous teenagers decided to seek a life of significance instead of complaining about finances and lawnmower repairs, they sold their house, gave away their possessions, and hit the road to dream big while living the RV lifestyle.

Michael and Crissa Boyink travel the USA pulling over now and then to use a campground or national park for a classroom for their homeschooled kids or an RV park with WiFi to run their online business.

Michael blogs about their adventure at Ditching Suburbia, which he subtitles as “helping common families create uncommon lives.” He’s passionate about living your dream, and he’s sometimes brutally honest. For example, he admits that his Christmas blog in 2013 was more “inwardly-focused” that most. Not because any of the family had experienced anything tragic or terrible, but because it was their first time living without what they call “Christmas influencers”. They had to figure out to celebrate the holiday on the road and on their own. From reading their Holiday blog that year, you can surmise that:

• They missed attending a Church where everyone knew their name with a service that was comfortable and familiar.
• They missed snow. Well, at least they had the good sense to drive south for the winter, though it made it hard for them to get into the Christmas mood.
• They missed going to the rounds of parties held by old friends and close relatives. The kind where all sorts of traditions are built and stories long told.
• They missed the crowded malls filled with decorations, piped-in Christmas music, and so many Santas that it’s impossible to miss that fact that it’s Christmastime.
• They didn’t seem to miss the commercialization of the season or the noise it creates.
• They preferred the life of being centerstage with nature under a really black canopy of stars where one might see Santa’s sleigh against the moon, or point out the very star that led the wise men to Bethlehem.

You can read more about the Boyink’s on the blog and check out the book Michael is writing about ditching suburbia. We wish our Floridays RVers a Merry Christmas and a happy holiday season.